Month: December 2016

We have to take the time to develop a great “story” [post 2/8/16] & [post 1/19/16]. A “story” that subtly addresses the “worldview” of our tribe. A “story” that is really about the tribe, not us.
It sounds so simple… and it really is.

To have a tribe, you must have a leader first.

Can you be a leader?
Well, a leader must have a following of people that respect and like you enough to pass your story onto other people that they know.
If you want to be a leader – you need followers.

According to Godin, there are 2 things that turn a group of people into a tribe:
1. a shared interest
2. and a way to communicate

As a small business owner you already have these.

A group of people with a shared interest are a some or all of your current qualified clients, the clients you’d like to duplicate – and their qualified friends, colleagues and family.

So, you start reaching a few people by telling your story to your clients. If your story resonates, they “follow” you.

They interact with you – and you interact with them.

And a funny thing happens. They find other people that are also members of your tribe and they start talking.

And then, they spread the word to even more people that don’t know anything about you.
Pretty soon you have a tribe of your own.

We call this “building from the inside, out”.
This really isn’t hard. It can happen fast.

WHERE MOST LEADERS FAIL

A tribe begins with a connection, a conversation and it grows because of relationships and communication.

Godin makes a distinction between crowds and tribes. He says that crowds are tribes without leaders and without communication. He says that most companies, big and small, market to the crowd – not to the tribe and that is a mistake.

So, with a great marketing story and a group of qualified clients with whom you have a great relationship, there is a huge opportunity for financial advisors.

His revolutionary concept for communicating a story quickly is called the 3-1-3.

Here is how it works:

Step 1: Tell your story in 3 sentences.

Ryan identified the 3 most important elements:

• Problem
• Solution
• Market

What makes Ryan’s approach unique is the limitations he puts in place. He challenges people to explain each of these 3 components in 1 sentence.

Ryan helps clients discover the biggest problem they are solving, then works to explain that issue in only 1 sentence. The same process goes for describing the solution and the target market.

If you can limit yourself to explaining each in 1 sentence, it will help you get your core message to your audience without overwhelming them with unnecessary information.

If the person you are talking to is truly interested in your idea, he or she will then start to ask questions.

Step 2: Refine your story to 1 sentence

Ryan shares that the way to shrink your story from 3 sentences to 1 sentence is easy. You take the problem (P), solution (S) and market (M) and combine them into one sentence.

Here’s an example of a 1 sentence pitch:

I help career driven people (M) build their personal brand through teaching them how to gain more social proof (S), so they stop getting overlooked for jobs (P).

Ryan is disenchanted with the popular concept of an “elevator” pitch. He is on a mission to eliminate it. He feels that it makes entrepreneurs seem rehearsed and disingenuous.

On the other hand, the 1 sentence story has been tested hundreds of times. It has never failed to pique someone’s curiosity.

When you only share the essence of your idea, people are are curious and want to learn more.

Step 3. Refine your story to 3 words.

Yes, 3 words!

If you can find words, ideas, or even companies that have already invested millions in a marketing message, or that are easily recognizable by your audience, you can use them to describe your idea or business in relational terms.

Client Centric Marketing, a division of MB Marketing, Inc., teaches Advisors how to work with the qualified friends, family and colleagues of their most valuable clients, the clients they want to duplicate.